Journal box



Nov. 20, 1928.

F. o. REEMER JOURNAL BOX Filed Aug. 5, 1925 INVENTOR Header-1c O.Heemer' "may Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

PATENT; OFFICE.

FREDERIC o. REE-MEIR, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

JOURNAL BOX.

Application filedlAug'ust a, 1925. Serial No. 47,863.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates thepreferred fo'rin of the invention, though it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the exact details of constructionshownand described as it gis obvious that various modifications thereofwithin the scope ofthe claims will-occur to personsskilled in the art.

The invention relates to journal boxes-and particularly to the lidspring mechanism thereof. Y

Heretofore, theflat springs in common use on the inside of journal boxlids were secured to the lid and extended upwardly to engage the camlugs on the box. The spring so positioned was short and relatively thickbecause of the structural peculiarities of lid and box'and the necessityfora spring of suflicient strength to hold the lid firmlyin both openand closed "positions. With a spring of the required strength and thickness thus restricted in length and subjected to repeated and excessivebending during the j opening and closing movements of the lid,

the spring was stressed beyond its elastic limit whereupon aperinanentset ensued, depriving the spring of the resiliency sonecessary-to the proper functioning of the lid.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide aspring of such form that when mounted upon the lid the spring willoperate to hold the lid firmly in its seated or closed position on thebox and in its raised or open position.

A further object is to so shape the spring that portions thereof belowits point of fastening to the lid will operate to increase the effectivelength of the spring and thereby its resiliency.

Another object is to provide a fiat spring of such form that portionsthereof above the point of fastening to the lid will be mutuallyreinforced, the frictional contact therebetween operating to dampen themovements thereof.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a journal box with the lid closed, the lidbeing fitted with a spring made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows and showing the applicat on of apreferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the lid raised;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.2 showin a modified form of theinventiongand F ig. 5 shows the modified forniof the spring in sideelevation and full lines and the preferred embodiment is indicated bythe dotted-line extension thereofJ In the drawing, represents thejournal box supported on the axle journal 11 through the medium ofjournal brass 12 and wedge 13 in'ac'cordance with established practice;and 14 indicates the lid having pivotal support on lid pin 15 in camlugs 16 of the journal-box 10. I a

The lid is provided with the usual spring pocket 17 within which thespring is lodged. The spring 18 may be held from displacement within thepocket inany approved manner. "For the purpose of illustrationl haveshown the spring secured to the lid by rivets 19 but there is noobjection to removably securing the spring by removablefmeans orotherwise if that method of fastening should bep'referred. g r Y s Thespring 18 is bent at its base to provide a loop portion 20 and securedto lid 14 of the box at a point substantially abovethe lower extremityof the loop as indicated at 19,

both arms'of the loop extendingupwardly to form respectively the camlug'engaging spring 21 and the "supplemental spring portion 22 to engageand reinforce the relatively long cam spring 21 for a purposehereinafter referred to. The cam lug engaging arm 21 of the spring isformed at its upper extremity with a rounded face projection 23 adaptedto nest in complementary depressions 24: and 25 on the under and uppersides respectively of the cam lugs 16 on the journal box to preventvibration or chattering of the lid in its closed position upon the boxand to definitely fix the open position of the lid.

The spring 18, when secured to the lid. is in its free expandedcondition as indicated in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2, but whenthe lid with attached spring is mounted on pivot pin 15 on the box thespring projection 23 will engage depressions 24L or 25 and the springarms 21 and 22 will beinitially stressed as they assume the operativeposition indicated in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

During the progress ofthe lid from the closed position in Fig. 1 to openposition in Fig. 3, the spring projection 23 will leave lug depression24 and ride over the apex 26 of said lugs and finally enter depression25 on the upper side of the lug in which positionof the spring the lidspring will be firmly but yieldably held to its seat as will be obvious.During such movement the spring 18 will be subjected to maximumcompression as projection 23 reaches apex 26 of the lug 16, and the camengaging portion 21,0f the spring will move toward the lid under stressof this movement, such movement being opposed by the auxiliary springportion 22 at alltimesin frictional engagement withsaid cam enga ingportion 21.

It will e noted that the auxiliary spring portion 22 operates at alltimes to dampen the movements of spring portion 21 by virtue of thefrictional contact between them so that projection 23 on the spring willengage the box lug 16 with a pressure suflicient to insure positivebearing contact between them. It should also be noted that by securingthe spring to the lid at a point above the base of the spring theefliective length of the spring is materially increased; that theincrease in the efiective length of the spring permits the use of aspring of greater strength and ample flexibility within the elasticlimit of the spring material. 7

A spring of the character outlined may be applied to malleable orpressed steel lids with equal facility and advantage. It ma be desirableat times to use a spring of lig iter capacity with the pressed steel lidin which event the auxiliar spring portion 22 of the spring shown inotted lines in Fig. 5, may be dispensed with. i

What I claim is: a

1. The combination with a journal box rovided with a lid spring cam lug,of a lid hinged to the box at said lug, an upwardly extending springsecured to said lid, and a provided withia lid spring cam lug, of a lidhinged to said box, and a spring secured to said lid at a point abovethe base of the spring and comprising upwardly extending arm portionsconnected at their basal extremities, one of said arm portions extendingdownwardly and outwardly thence upwardly for engagement with itscompanion arm portion and said cam lu i 4. As an article 0% manufacture,the combination of a journal box lid adapted to be hinged to a journalbox, a spring bent to form a loop with arms of unequal length, and meansfor securingthe shorter arm to the lid adjacent to the bend of the loop,the; longer arm extending upwardly in spaced relation to the lid andhaving a lug engaging surface adjacent to its free end. and the shorterarm extending upwardly between the lid and the longer arm and adapted tobear at its free end against the intermediate portion of the longer arm.

y In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand this 29th day of July,1925/ FREDERIC onnEMER'.

